


Follow my Heart Right Back to You

by Ozark_Kaya



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Like constantly, M/M, THEY'RE DORKS, and he waxes poetic about his husband, grayfire, graystripe is a dork, graystripe is a hopeless romantic, he's also gay, he's in love, i love these three fools, ive never written warriors fics i dont know the tags, millie puts up with so much honestly, millie's really good
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:33:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27299527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ozark_Kaya/pseuds/Ozark_Kaya
Summary: Greystripe sighed as he watched Silverpelt. So much had happened since he got kidnapped by those Twolegs-- he'd met Millie, for one, and found out that the forest was gone. The forest. The spot where he and Firestar first met, where Sandstorm had their kits for them, where they became warriors together, where he'd first told Firestar just how much he loved him. It was… gone. And the love of his life had gone with it.His fur ruffled in the wind, a chill settling into his bones-- leafbare was setting in already. It had been three seasons since Greystripe lost everything-- no, everyone --that he loved. Millie was good company, sure, and she would be a wonderful warrior when they made it to the Clans, but…--or: grayfire au during the period where graystripe was estranged from the clans and going through graystripe's return to the clans.
Relationships: Firestar/Graystripe (Warriors), Graystripe & Millie (Warriors)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 47





	Follow my Heart Right Back to You

**Author's Note:**

> so you can't convince me greystripe ISNT gay. i dont read romance well its never made any sense to me but greystripe is definitely definitely gay.
> 
> anyways i wrote this a few months back because i noticed an absolutely tragic lack of grayfire fanfiction, and only just finally got around to posting it here you go ! hope you enjoy ! i fudged the timeline of events at the gathering a bit because i like him and firestar reuniting at the end of a gathering better than in the middle
> 
> i've literally never written romance before this gshjfksla does this even count as romance? i think it does at least
> 
> [only the first half of this got beta'd before i forgot about the fic for a while and i don't want to bother the person who was beta'ing it before so! here we go]
> 
> [title from "Right Back to You" by Paradise Fears]

Greystripe sighed as he watched Silverpelt. So much had happened since he got kidnapped by those Twolegs-- he'd met Millie, for one, and found out that the forest was gone. The forest. The spot where he and Firestar first met, where Sandstorm had their kits for them, where they became warriors together, where he'd first told Firestar just how much he loved him. It was… gone. And the love of his life had gone with it.

His fur ruffled in the wind, a chill settling into his bones-- leafbare was setting in already. It had been three seasons since Greystripe lost everything-- no, every _ one _ \--that he loved. Millie was good company, sure, and she would be a wonderful warrior when they made it to the Clans, but…

"Greystripe, look!" 

A sharp mew pulled the tom out of his thoughts as he turned to his friend. She'd been out hunting while he sat there thinking. Two mice and a squirrel were dropped in front of him, Millie settling down next to them with a smile. It was a lucky hunt, this late into leaf-fall. 

"Come eat!" She purred.

"Y--yeah. Coming!" He stuttered out, shaking his head and giving her a soft smile.

Biting into the mouse only brought back another wave of memories, though. The first time he and Firestar had shared a mouse-- it had been so long ago, hadn't it? So many moons… and yet, Greystripe remembered it clear as day.

"How much longer, d'you think?" Millie asked, chewing around her words in a way that always found Greystripe laughing a little bit. "We've been on the move for what… seven months? Eight months? We can't be that far out, can we? I don't know how much longer I can stand only talking to one cat. I mean, no offense to you, of course!"

"None taken! I wouldn't mind only talking to one cat for  _ years _ on end, but that cat isn't you," Greystripe replied with a snort.

Millie smiled and rolled her eyes, giving him a pointed look.

"You're about to go on and on about him, aren't you?" She asked. Anybody who spoke to Greystripe these days heard it. The pining, the drama, the worry that he'd never find him-- all of it.

"StarClan, Millie-- he's just- he's just so good! I love him! So much! His eyes are so pretty they're like, Silverpelt, but green, I could get lost in them for moons! He is my light and my soul and my heart and my  _ everything _ ! And I don't even-- I don't even know if he's  _ alive _ , Millie!" He burst out, his pelt fluffing up indignantly. "He's so brave and strong-- I told you about how he fought in the battle of BloodClan, right? I told you about that,  _ right _ ? He died! He died, but he got back up and kept fighting, even though he should have been taken out to  _ rest _ after losing a life!" His food was forgotten as he rambled on, sitting back on his haunches and waving his front paws around emphatically.

"Yes, yes I  _ know _ ! He's the single most amazing cat in all of the Clans, and you love him more than life itself! You're head over tail in love with him, and you simply can't wait to see him again. Lovestruck furball, that's what you are!" Millie laughed, playfully pushing him off balance so that he fell to the ground and out of his trance. 

"Okay, okay-- I've told you about him before, fine! But have I told you about our kits? Squirrelpaw and Leafpaw!" Greystripe retorted, rolling over so that he could look at Millie properly. "Dear StarClan, they'll have their full names by now. Squirrelpaw'll never let me live down missing her warrior ceremony. The last time I saw them-- it was the day the twolegs took me? They were both there. Squirrelpaw, rescuing cats and using her father’s heart to its fullest extent-- I wouldn't be surprised if she's grown into one of ThunderClan's best warriors already! And Leafpaw had everyone calm and cool and collected, even though she was one of the ones trapped in those cages. She's probably such a good medicine cat, now! Going around the Clan with Cinderpelt, making sure everyone isn't just getting sick all the time," He trailed off, looking back up towards the stars. Were his friends up there? The elders were, he knew. Who else had died? Who else was in Silverpelt, smiling down upon him now?

Another mew from Millie brought his mind back to reality once more.

"Alright, you big lovable furball-- we should get some sleep, m’kay?. We've got a lot of walking to do tomorrow,” She stood up, stretching out her front legs calmly while she spoke.

Greystripe yawned as he nodded, the weariness of his emotions crashing down on him as he realized how exhausted he actually was.

“Finish up your meal, I'm going to go find us some moss to make temporary nests. You gonna be okay, big guy?" She asked. He smiled at her apologetically, his ears flattening sheepishly to his head.

"I'll be fine. Sorry to worry you-- I just miss them, y'know?" He responded, receiving only a hum of agreement from his companion. A companionable silence fell over them. Before long, Millie had put together nests for them. When she’d finished she fell asleep faster than Greystripe could say 'mouse'. It took him quite a bit longer to sleep; curled in his bed of moss and still letting his mind wander. He did sleep, eventually, falling back onto the familiar thoughts of Firestar's warm smile and bright eyes. That night, his dreams were full of smiling moments in the middle of greenleaf-- hunting with his mate, gossiping with Sandstorm, telling Squirrelpaw and Leafpaw about all the crazy antics that he and Firestar got into when they were apprentices, the ginger tom curled into his side as their tails entwined. Someday soon, he promised himself, they'd see each other again. The cold spot in his huge, fluffy heart would be filled.

\---

Three days' walk away, a ginger tom-cat sleeps surrounded by his family. His two daughters and their surrogate mother huddle around him, and his grandkits around them, all there merely to keep him warm, all sleeping calmly next to him, protecting him from everything else in the world. They’d fallen asleep in his den, comforting him from the harsh memories that leafbare’s cold bite brought alongside it.

Now, he dreams of himself, pressed into the long fur of the car he so dearly misses. He dreams of hunting side-by-side, of teasing between the two. The greenleaf sun shines bright in these dreams; these snapshots of life that Firestar clings so desperately to. Memories of ranting to Sandpaw about his crush on Greystripe; the day that Squirrelflight and Leafpool opened their eyes; the moments where he and Greystripe were happy. These dreams that he loves. He hopes, just this one time, that they're prophecies in disguise. That soon, he won't need to sleep around half the Clan in order to feel warm-- that his mate will be able to curl around him and that his rhythmic snoring will help Firestar himself fall asleep, even though they'd held a vigil for Greystripe moons ago.

\---

"His fur is  _ so _ soft, even with how short it is!" Greystripe was speaking with Millie again, on the evening of their third 'day without Firestar discussion'. "And have I mentioned how good he is? His heart is so big! He has no right to be  _ that _ good-- but like, he saved an entire Clan? Three times!  _ Millie _ ! He’s  _ so good _ !"

"And the counter resets!" Millie laughed, nudging Greystripe's shoulder. "Congratulations, that's the farthest you've gone in a season! Maybe I'll catch something really fun, as a treat--" 

Greystripe cut her off as he lifted his nose to smell the world around him. She continued speaking, quietly, but her words fell on deaf ears-- his focus was  _ occupied _ . By  _ familiar scents _ . By  _ Clan scents _ . Faint, perhaps, but--  _ yes _ ! That was ShadowClan scent! His paws sped up, unbidden, following the trails of scents he’d almost forgotten, and then there were cats he  _ recognized _ . There was Blackstar's scent, and there was Littlecloud, and then the scent of ThunderClan--

"Hey, wait up!" Millie called from somewhere behind him.

Greystripe couldn't hear, couldn't speak, couldn't think-- there it was, there was Firestar's scent- he was alive! He was alive, and well, and  _ alive _ ! And there were… cats he didn't recognize there. He could smell them too. They were so distinctly ThunderClan, but not  _ his _ ThunderClan. He slowed down, letting Millie catch up while he took a moment to relish in the scents of his  _ Clanmates _ . His  _ family _ . Thornclaw, and Brackenfur, and Sorreltail-- there was Sandstorm! She was alive too! He'd missed all of them so, so much. 

"We're here," Greystripe whispered, looking out at the lake in front of them. He turned to face her as she caught up, his eyes wide and his smile growing ever-bigger as he spoke. "We're here, we're almost there-- his eyes, his face, his fur, his smile-- I'm going to see his smile again! And hear his voice! And get lost in his eyes!"

"Alright, you big furball. Smooth out your fur. You don't want to look all mangy when you're reuniting with your long-lost lover, do you? I can't do much about the dirt or the hunger without a little more time, but this should at least make you  _ somewhat _ presentable for the 'best cat to ever grace the lands'," Millie giggled, smoothing out some of Greystripe's less tame patches of fur. It took  _ far _ longer than Greystripe would have liked-- any time spent not bolting after the scents of his family, the scent of his home, the scent of his  _ mate  _ was time badly spent --but it was done quickly enough. The moon had properly taken its place in the sky now, and a sudden realization hit him-- it was the night of a Gathering.

"Stay close to me when we get there, okay-- or at least don't go near anyone else," He murmured to Millie, his voice threatening to overflow with emotion.

Greystripe hesitated before stepping onto the tree that stretched between the lakeshore and the island. Millie’s comforting presence pressed into his side and he stepped onto the log, one paw in front of the other, step by step. It felt as though he was walking along that tree for a whole moon, though he knew it was merely a few moments. Once he reached the island there was no going back-- not that Greystripe ever even  _ wanted _ to go back.

He pushed the brush aside and led Millie into the clearing, head held low as he looked towards the ground, taking in the scents of the cats around him. It was so loud, now, with cats screaming and yelling and hissing at them to get out because they were strangers. He shifted his weight so that he was more in front of Millie than before, before finally lifting his head and looking at the leaders in the clearing.

“I-- I’m not an intruder," He spoke quietly towards some of the younger cats, the cats he didn't recognize. "I'm--"

"...Greystripe?" A near-silent whisper came from the tree in the clearing, and Greystripe  _ couldn’t take it anymore _ .

The clearing came to a silent hush as he looked up, locking eyes for the first time in seasons with his beloved Firestar. The ginger tom met his gaze with shock; an expression that soon melted into pure golden joy as the realization that this was  _ real _ sank in.

Greystripe knew his own face lit up as Firestar recognized him. His mate leaped down from the tree, and before he knew it, Greystripe was standing face to face with Firestar’s brilliant shining grin.

“I missed you,” He purred, to which Firestar let out a huge laugh.

“You disappear for a year and all you can say is  _ you missed me _ ? Pfft- you’re  _ such _ a dork,” He snickered, pessing his face into Graystripe’s fur, before quietly continuing. “I missed you, too.”

\--

In the days following their reunion, Firestar and Greystripe were inseparable. At times, it seemed as though they were a single cat. The Clan worked around them, giving the two of them all the space they needed to reconnect and catch up with each other. And  _ oh _ was there a lot to catch up on. Like their grandkits.

"Grandkits! We have grandkits! Firestar, we have grandkits! Oh noooo-- we’re  _ so _ old! Millie, come look, I'm a grandcat!" Greystripe had cried out on their way back to camp, after Lionpaw had introduced himself as ‘Squirrelflight’s  _ better _ son and Firestar’s personal heater’. The trio of apprentices had been just as excited to meet Greystripe, once they figured out who he was.

Many hours were spent lounging on the rocks at camp, Firestar pressed into his side and their family(Millie and Sandstorm included, of course) surrounding them as Greystripe and Millie recounted their story. This was their happy ending. Surrounded by their loved ones as they sat next to each other, talking and smiling until the sun set beyond the horizon. They’d earned this.

(And if sometimes, Greystripe went to Millie to ramble about how pretty Firestar’s eyes were, she’d be there to tease him about it.)

**Author's Note:**

> he's just a dork god i love him he's such a dork i love graystripe !! you can not convince me that he doesn't wax poetic about firestar to anyone he meets and in that same line of thought you can not convince me he's the least eloquent person in the room at any point in time. "his eyes are like silverpelt, but green" please can we agree this is what graystripe sounds like.
> 
> i should clarify that the reason millie's doing so much here and greystripe's just sitting around mooning over firestar is actually fairly complicated? i think millie first off recognizes that greystripe is having tough days here and is working through grief, and she's trying to help him cope. i also think that she's working to prove herself and practice to be a capable warrior, and she understands that hopeless romantic graystripe over here is too much of a big dumb lovable idiot to remember that he's not groomed before he goes to see his family again. she also likes. taking care of people? she likes being someone he can depend on, and the moments here ARE moments where he needs to depend on someone-- whether it be to help pull him out of his thoughts or to help ground him in his giddiness.


End file.
